In this Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, PBS host Charlie Rose, left, interviews Syrian President Bashar Assad at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria. In an interview broadcast Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 on “CBS This Morning,” Assad denied responsibility and accused the Obama administration of spreading lies without providing a “single shred of evidence,” he warned that air strikes against his nation could bring retaliation. (AP Photo/SANA)

NEW YORK (AP) — CBS News had essentially given up its pursuit of Syrian President Bashar Assad for an interview because he would not agree to go on “60 Minutes,” until Charlie Rose suggested airing it on PBS.

CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager, who accompanied Rose to Damascus last weekend, said Assad and his team would not go on “60 Minutes” because they wanted to have a say how the interview would be edited, and CBS refused. Assad opted for a longer airing on PBS on Monday night.

The interview was a coup for Rose, who was pursuing it for CBS since last spring. It was the Syrian president’s first TV interview with a U.S. outlet since he spoke to Barbara Login to read more